# PDF Reader vs PDF Master

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PDF Reader at 81% against PDF Master's 9%. PDF Reader also leads on monetization model (freemium vs subscription) and ads (none vs shown). PDF Master's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. PDF Reader sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and PDF Master sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

PDF Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PDF Reader has 3.5K ratings behind it against 200, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of PDF Reader's written reviews are positive against 9% of PDF Master's.

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, PDF Master every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | PDF Reader | PDF Master |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (3.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-editor-and-viewer/id368377690/reviews)** | [4.3 (200 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-master-editor-reader/id6471487318/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.5K** | 200 |
| Positive reviews | **80.9% of reviews** | 9.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Subscription |
| Size | 190 MB | 119 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kdan Mobile Software LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/318936474) | [CheeseJoy Apps](https://appshunter.io/developer/1727983156) |

## What reviewers say

### PDF Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-reader-editor-and-viewer/id368377690)

Edit, convert, and manage PDF documents on your mobile device. This app allows you to directly edit text, scan documents, fill out forms, and secure your files with passwords and watermarks. It also supports OCR to extract text from scans and convert PDFs to various formats.

**Highlights:** Edit PDF text directly, Convert PDF to Word, Excel, PPT, images, OCR for text extraction from scans, Fill and sign PDF forms, Secure PDFs with passwords and watermarks, Annotate PDFs with highlights and notes, Merge and split PDF files

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| KDAN Cloud | $2.99 | per month |
| Deluxe Business Pack | $5.99 | per month |
| Creativity 365 | $9.99 | per month |
| Document 365 (Month) | $9.99 | per month |
| Deluxe PDF Pack for iPhone | $12.99 | per 3 months |
| Creativity 365 - 3 Months | $19.99 | per 3 months |
| Document 365 (Quarter) | $19.99 | per 3 months |
| Deluxe PDF Pack for iPhone | $39.99 | per year |
| Document 365 | $59.99 | per year |
| Upgrade to Premium | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good app
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 📚 Useful for reading PDFs
- 🔒 Secure file storage
- 💡 Helpful features like highlighting and annotation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔐 Locked files behind paywall
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 📢 Intrusive ads
- 🤯 Confusing and unintuitive UI

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to open or access saved files
- Syncing and backup issues
- Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Improved file management and organization
- Better integration with cloud storage services
- More customization options
- Enhanced accessibility features


### PDF Master

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pdf-master-editor-reader/id6471487318)

This app offers a comprehensive suite of tools for managing PDF documents on iOS. It allows users to scan physical documents and gallery images into PDFs, create new PDFs from scratch, view existing files, merge multiple PDFs, and extract text using OCR technology.

**Highlights:** Scan photos to PDF, Convert gallery images to PDF, Create new PDF files, View and read PDF documents, Merge multiple PDF files, OCR text recognition

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF Master | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Master PRO 1 Week | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Master PRO 1 Week | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Master PRO 1 Week | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Master PRO 1 Week | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| PDF Master PRO 1 Week | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Pro | $9.99 | per month |
| PDF Master PRO 1 Year | $29.99 | per year |
| PDF Master PRO 1 Year | $34.99 | per year |
| PDF Master PRO 1 Year | $39.99 | per year |
| PDF Master Pro | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is PDF Reader free?

PDF Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is PDF Master free?

PDF Master is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, PDF Reader or PDF Master?

PDF Reader is rated higher. PDF Reader averages 4.5 out of 5 from 3.5K ratings, while PDF Master averages 4.3 from 200 ratings.

### Do PDF Reader or PDF Master have ads?

PDF Master shows ads; PDF Reader does not.

### Which is updated more often, PDF Reader or PDF Master?

PDF Reader ships an update every 2 months, and PDF Master every 2 weeks. Most recently, PDF Reader was updated on September 24, 2026 and PDF Master on September 14, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*